New aggression

[Trina]

I have 2 15 month old dobermans. One called Coda and the other Duke. Coda ways about 100lb and Duke about 70lb. I also have a small pomeranian mix. They are all males. Duke is a baby and love all dogs but Coda is our problem child. Around his first birthday he lost his mind and attacked Duke. He won't stop. When Duke is outside at the door wanting in Coda growls at the door. So we rotate one in and one out. Last night out of nowhere Cody went after the small pomeranian I jumped up and grabbed is collar and he turned and growled at me. I grabbed his muzzle and put it on him and sent him to timeout. When I have him neutered I'm going to talk to the vet about getting him on meds and see if it helps. He is trained but when he loses its like he can hear me.
Should I have both males fixed or just Coda. And any advice.
Thanks.

 

[Cferg]

Once it starts it doesn’t get better it gets worse.Keep the dogs separated from here on out. Or rehome whichever dog you think the problem is coming from.

 

[Firestar Dobe]

You may want to consider "crate and rotate". One dog in the crate for 2 or 3 hrs while the other one is loose and then switch them, and this is something you may always have to do. Unfortunately same sex aggression is not something that is easy to deal with. It is a harsh reality that once SSA reaches a certain level, there is not much of a chance to remove it, only to deal with it. Neutering rarely will change the SSA behavior, and meds are not always a great answer. Hope you can find a solution, please let us know how it goes!

 

[Ravenbird]

As already mentioned, this is Same Sex Aggression and neutering rarely helps. Some breeds are more prone to this and the Doberman is one of those. Crate and rotate or re-home. You will never be able to leave Coda alone with these other dogs or any dog for that matter. Since he & Duke are the same age, are they litter-mates or both raised together from puppies?

 

[JanS]

I agree that SSA is a real problem and there are a few dogs it isn't a problem with but I never want to risk a constant schedule of crate and rotate so I don't get two of the same gender.

 

[MasonSabre]

Aggression can come from the breeder requiring you to pick up your pup too early.
In NC six weeks is legally allowed but critical puppy socialization comes from mom and siblings in weeks 6-8.

 

[Ddski5]

Picking up too early is definitely an issue that should not happen but the bigger issue here is having same sex Dobermans….

We warn folks all the time. Some folks have same sex and say their Dobermans relate to each other perfectly. I just don’t see why anybody would risk it. It could go bad and get bloody without warning and then you either crate/rotate or have to rehome. How is that kinda HIGH risk worth it??